At True Link, we understand the challenges of helping loved ones living with complex needs manage their finances. We specialize in providing expert financial services and solutions, like the True Link Visa Card, that can help families more easily manage the finances and spending of the loved ones they support. Many families in our community work with a professional caregiver to help support their loved ones, and the True Like Visa Card is a great tool to help ensure a professional caregiver is receiving sufficient funds and their loved one’s money is going to purchases that meet their needs. Let’s look at the benefits of using a True Link Visa Card to help manage how a professional caregiver makes purchases for your loved one.

Send Funds Directly to Professional Caregivers Online From Anywhere

The True Link Visa Card is a prepaid card that helps simplify the relationship between families and the professional caregiver they work with. For families who work with a caregiver, one of the first things they need to figure out is how a caregiver will receive money and how spending on behalf of their loved one will be managed. Instead of having to worry about getting cash to a professional caregiver on a routine basis or wondering if checks have been delivered, the True Link Visa Card helps give families an easy way to send money directly to a caregiver through an online dashboard or mobile app. This is especially helpful for families that don’t live within a convenient distance to their loved one, as finding ways to deliver cash to a caregiver could become a major burden. Using a Visa card instead of cash or checks also gives families a way to set rules on how money is spent, track daily spending habits, and ensure that a professional caregiver always has sufficient funds and is making appropriate purchases that fulfill their loved one’s needs. By having this level of visibility, families can benefit from a more thorough view of their loved one’s care and can stay confident that they’re getting all they need to live a happy and healthy life.

Using a Visa card instead of cash or checks also gives families a way to set rules on how money is spent, track daily spending habits, and ensure that a professional caregiver always has sufficient funds and is making appropriate purchases that fulfill their loved one’s needs.

Set Where and When a Professional Caregiver Can Spend With Custom Settings

True Link's online platform and Spending Monitor allows the account administrator (who may be a parent, relative, or friend) to set up custom spending guidelines for the Visa card to allow caregivers to only make approved purchases, while helping prevent unauthorized ones. Families can easily set where the Visa card works and where it doesn’t, such as preventing a caregiver from spending at stores that don’t align with their loved one’s care, like a liquor store, while allowing purchases on items that ensure their loved one’s daily needs are met — like medical expenses, household items, and food. You can even set a Visa card to allow or block a caregiver from spending at specific vendors, such as "Allow Amazon” or "Block Home Shopping Network." These spending settings can be customized at any time to fit your loved one’s unique needs, and help reduce the amount of manual work a family would have to do in order to constantly approve purchases.

Track Caregiver Purchases Through a Dashboard, Mobile App, and Notifications

When using the True Link Visa Card to manage how a professional caregiver is using funds for your loved one, it’s important to keep an eye on daily spending. True Link’s online dashboard gives families an easy way to see where and when a True Link Visa Card is used, while the mobile app gives them a convenient way to help track where a caregiver is spending while on the go. With notifications via email or text¹, families can even stay informed of how a caregiver is spending in real time and can be notified of any suspicious spending activities. Families can set up multiple types of alerts, such as when a purchase is made above a specified amount or when a Visa card is trying to be used at a blocked merchant. They can also view a Visa card’s full spending history, which provides a detailed view of all transactions a caregiver makes. Additional family members, friends, or other people can be added to account alerts as well, helping ensure that everyone who is responsible for care can stay in the loop.

Set Guidelines on Whether a Professional Caregiver Can Access or Withdraw Cash

A big concern for families that work with a professional caregiver is access to cash, as using cash can potentially lead to risky spending and difficulties in tracking where purchases are being made. Families who allow a caregiver to make purchases for their loved one using a True Link Visa Card can help alleviate these concerns by using settings to block direct access to cash in various ways, including preventing cash withdrawals at ATMs, blocking cash-back at time of purchase, and setting daily or monthly cash withdrawal limits. Through these cash-specific settings, families can help maintain the ability to track where all funds are being spent and help ensure that a caregiver will only be able to access funds that apply to their unique role. By using a Visa card, families can also save time and stress by eliminating the need to repeatedly coordinate the hand off of cash or checks with caregivers.

Transfer Money to Professional Caregivers from Bank Accounts, Social Security, and Other Sources

Instead of having a professional caregiver depend on using cash, which is hard to track and coordinate hand-offs, and checks, which can be a hassle to prepare, families can easily send money directly to the True Link Visa Card a caregiver is using. Transferring money to a Visa card can be done online from anywhere — either through one-time transfers (which can be helpful in case of emergencies) or by setting up recurring transfers to create a more routine funding schedule. With automatic funding, families can help give caregivers the confidence to take care of their loved ones through a consistent routine, instead of having to constantly request more funds. Funding can come from various sources depending on the situation, such as Social Security payments, existing bank accounts, a Special Needs Trust, or other sources. Families can also receive notifications when an account is low on funds to help ensure a caregiver has continuous access to money so their loved one can receive the support they need uninterrupted.

Helpful Benefits and Peace of Mind For Families and Professional Caregivers

With the True Link Visa Card, families and the professional caregiver they employ both benefit.

For families, benefits of True Link include:

• Send money to caregivers online from anywhere
• Avoid having to coordinate the hand off of cash or checks
• Set rules on where a caregiver can and can’t spend funds
• Track purchases in real-time to be confident loved ones get what they need
• Reduce the manual work of approving purchases on a daily basis
• Focus on general support and relationships instead of if a caregiver is spending appropriately
• Access a support team that understands the unique family-caregiver dynamic

Professional caregivers play a crucial role in supporting the health and happiness of loved ones. For professional caregivers, benefits of True Link include:

• Flexibility to perform their roles properly by always having funds available
• Empowered to spend on behalf of a loved one efficiently and confidently
• Avoid the burden of using their own money upfront and get reimbursed at a later date
• Alleviate the stress of collecting and sending receipts to families to prove where money is spent
• Focus more on supporting your loved one’s health and less on managing physical cash

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Get Started With a True Link Visa Card for a Professional Caregiver

The True Link Visa Card is a convenient way for families to ensure professional caregivers looking after their loved ones are spending appropriately. It helps protect your loved ones finances through customizable spending settings, cash withdrawal limits, real-time alerts, and more, while empowering professional caregivers to make the purchases required for their role.

The easiest way for families to get started with a True Link Visa Card for a caregiver is to order a card online today.

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‍¹Text notifications may be subject to additional charges/fees from your carrier.